Friday, November 30, 2007

Taj Mahal tea has launched a new variant : Dessert Tea. The dessert tea comes in three flavors like French Vanilla, Butterscotch, and Dulce. The new range comes in attractive packaging and is promoted with the brand ambassador Saif Ali Khan.

Dessert teas are new to India ( as far as I know). But it looks strikingly similar to Cappuccino . May be the product is just creamy tea with icecream flavors . What ever it may be , the brand looks tempting.Taj Mahal Desset tea has the slogan " Pamper Yourself " and the ads are already in various magazines. The brand also has a hip-hop website www.pamperurself.in.The brand is being positioned as a beverage to indulge in. When you are at office or at home, taking this brand will carry you to another world.The brand is hoping to replicate the success of Bru Cappuccino. The brand stands out with its unique packaging which gives it a premium look. For tea lovers, it is a break from the usual monotony.One thing to worry for this new range is the limited success that other innovations had in the tea segment. Lipton Iced tea was not a success despite high decibel advertising. However these new flavors and variants will bring back the excitement in the tea segment. Marketers were worried about this category ( tea) losing its charm among the youth. If successful, dessert teas will open new opportunities for tea marketers .Related BrandTaj Mahal Tea

Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Accu-chek is a unique brand. The brand is a pioneer in home blood sugar monitoring device market in India. Accu-chek is the brand of global diagnostics major Roche. Roche introduced the revolutionary blood monitoring device in 1983.India is the facing the huge problem of burgeoning diabetic patients count. According to media reports 20% of world's diabetic patients are in India. This has created a market for diabetic related products in India which is estimated to be over Rs 1236 crore growing at 16%.Like the brand " Sugarfree" discussed elsewhere in the blog, Accu-chek also treats diabetes as a lifestyle issue rather than a disease. Accu-chek is positioned as an lifestyle enabler rather than a medical device.This smart positioning comes from the customer insight that diabetes is an obstacle to a person's way of life. Once detected, the person's life changes forever. The lifestyle changes and the enjoyment withers away.One of the most important part of treatment for diabetes is the regular blood sugar monitoring. Doctors assure the patients that if they are able to monitor sugar levels and adjusts their life, diabetes can be contained. But monitoring blood sugar level involves visits to the lab which is a real boring and damning experience.It is from this problem that innovative products like home blood monitoring devices were created.These devices are a boon of diabetes patients because of the convenience factor.

Accu-chek is actively promoted by Roche in India. The brand has the ace cricketer Wasim Akram as the brand ambassador. Wasim was diagnosed with diabetes during his peak career point. Most analysts predicted end of career for Akram. But with careful monitoring and control, Wasim came back to cricket and proved the doomsayers wrong. WasimAkram fits perfectly with Accu-chek's positioning of lifestyle enabler. Akram features in the ads of this brand and often participates various events sponsored by the brand.

Accu-chek uses the classic slogan " Live life the way you want". The slogan actively captures the brand's vision and I am quite impressed by the vision of the brand. The brand assures the customers that one can life a healthy life with diabetes.To reinforce the positioning, the brand is very active in promoting information regarding diabetes. The brand had a CSR initiative in 2004 called Inspiration Series where the brand took up the cause of juvenile diabetes ( kids suffering from diabetes). The brand also leads in observing November 14 as World Diabetes day by organizing awareness camps and road shows.The brand also is a smart innovator. Accu-chek has lot of variants like Accu-chek integra which was launched in 2007. This product is a premium product which has more advanced features. A typical blood monitoring device consists of a a meter, strip and finger pricker .

Accu-chek is not without competition. The biggest competitor is One Touch Ultra from Johnson and Johnson. The list is long with every major pharma players launching their own brands. All these products are priced higher starting from Rs 2500 and above. The testing strips are also very expensive and now there is a trend where companies sell the meters for low prices and make money on the strips. However for a consumer, these products are a boon and the increased competition may see the prices becoming less and the product becoming more affordable.

Monday, November 26, 2007

Vim has become better again. After launching the liquid variant to counter the attack of Pril, Vim has taken the battle to Exo.

Exo which is a brand of Jyothi Lab has been positioning itself as the dish wash bar with antibacterial properties. Exo has been promoting the USP of antibacterial bar using the ingredient Cyclozan. The differentiation was effective and the antibacterial attribute gave Exo sufficient consumer attention.This year, Vim relaunched itself as Antibacterial Vim. The latest relaunch takes on the differentiation of Exo. In marketing theory , we talk about Competitor Points of parity . Competitor points of parity aims to neutralize the points of differentiation of competitors. The latest relaunch of Vim is a classic example of this concept.Does Exo has a reason to worry?I think there are two main reasons for Exo to worry. Firstly its USP is no longer unique. The same attribute is now shared with the competitor .Secondly Vim has put Exo in a trap. The new Vim uses Neem + Lemon as the antibacterial agent while Exo uses Cyclozan which sounds like a chemical. So here again Vim scores over Exo.Vim is a classic example of how brands sustain its marketshare through careful marketing strategies.Related BrandVim

Sunday, November 25, 2007

After repositioning itself as a home decor brand, Kurl-on is back again focusing on its core product : mattress. The brand is now running a campaign focusing on the mattresses.Watch the TVC here : Kurl-onI like this ad because it is simple straight forward and excellently executed. This is a reminder ad to create brand awareness for Kurl-on. You will yawn after seeing the ad.The new campaign makes sense because there can be a dilution of the of Kurl-on's association with mattresses since it had ventured into related products. So once in a while , the brand has to remind the customers about its main product.From the beginning itself , Kurl-on had positioned itself as a sleep enabler. The new campaign is an execution of a smart execution of a simple idea.

Thursday, November 22, 2007

Transitions is a niche brand in the 1200 crore Opticals market. Transitions is a pioneer in plastic Photochromic lens market worldwide. The company launched the first commercially viable plastic photochromic lens in 1990 . Transitions optical is a Florida based company formed as a joint venture between PPG Industries and Essilor. The company besides selling Transitions brand of lenses also supplies the technology for leading eyecare marketers across the world.

Transitions lenses are plastic photochromic lenses that automatically adjusts with the changing light conditions. It becomes dark as sunglasses when there is bright sun and become plain when the light is low.Transitions began its operation in India in 2006 and this year the brand has decided to become aggressive in the Indian market. India is predominately a glass lenses market with a market size of over 75 mn pieces sold every year. The market is moving towards plastic lenses which offers a huge potential for a brand like Transitions.Transitions is running a campaign in the visual media these days. The brand is positioned on its UV blocking attribute. The ad talks about the danger of exposing to ultra-violet rays and highlights the flexibility of usage of Transitions in various light conditions.Watch the Tvc here : TransitionsThe brand is positioned as an everyday eyewear and helps the customer to do away with having two spectacles ,one for indoor and another for the outdoor. Transitions use the tag line " Healthy sight in every light " true to the positioning of the brand. Priced upwards from Rs 1800, the brand is targeting the premium segment of customers.The brand is facing an interesting problem in the consumer behavior front. A research by the company showed that Indian consumers spent 65% of the time selecting the frame and only 35% in choosing lenses. Hence the buyer behavior focuses very much on the style rather than the lens. There is again an issue with the branding of lenses. Lenses is still a commodity business and the branding only have just started.What is making Transitions excited about Indian market is the growing population of IT professional who work across different time zones . The growing cases of VDU syndrome , Computer related eye problems have opened up a huge market for such lenses. These new work related diseases have increased the demand for anti-glare and photochromic lenses.Transitions has been able to identify the emergence of a new market for branded photochromic lenses in India. The brand faces the competition from unbranded lenses but thee opportunity is too good to resist.source : FE, Businessline

Tuesday, November 20, 2007

John Miller is a brand which is a decade old. This mid-priced executive apparel brand came into existence in 1995. The brand at that time was the logical extension of the Pantaloon in the executive segment.The millennium changed the Pantaloon group from a apparel marketer to a retail giant. Hence all the brands of Pantaloon became private labels of Future Group. The early days of the retail initiative of Pantaloon focused more on the groups expansion of retail stores. Now time has come for this group to foray into private labels.According to Kevin Lane Keller , Private Labels are products marketed by retailers and other members of the distribution chain.Private labels are called store brands when they actually adopt the name of the store itself in some way.Future Group had identified seven brands to be promoted in the apparel category. One being John Miller. Globally Private labels are priced lower and is sold on the platform on value. While much of the promotions are done inside the store, there are private labels which are promoted aggressively through mass media.John Miller is one such brand that is now making lot of noise in both print and in television.Watch the TVC here : John MillerThis is poorly executed ad with an idea that has been used by different brands from time immemorial.John Miller is being positioned as a value brand in the executive attire segment. The ad uses the statement " Good Looking Rascal Makes it Look Easy " to position the brand personality as a naughty achiever who gets things done . The brand uses the tagline " makes it look easy " . Its the first time I hear a brand calling its user RASCAL .The brand can try the following descriptions for the brand user in the next campaigns :Good Looking Bloody FoolGood Looking AssholeGood Looking *@#$%

The brand could have devoted some effort to find a better idea to position itself. Priced at a range of Rs 300- 600, John Miller is an attractive option for value buyers. If the brand is able to keep its quality level reasonable, John Miller can be a tough competitor for brands like Peter England. The brand is now available in the Big Bazaar chain and also on its online store .John Miller can be called as the first Indian private label to embark on mass media campaigns. With its retail formats expanding at a massive pace, John Miller is a brand which will go places.

Saturday, November 17, 2007

Colgate celebrates October as Oral Health Month. This is a unique example of a brand embarking on strong value system. Colgate has long been positioned on the oral hygiene platform. Strong teeth and prevention of tooth decay has been the main communication points of this brand. To further reinforce this positioning and also to demonstrate the brand's commitment towards society Colgate observes October as the oral health month.

This initiative was started in October 2004 and has grown in size and depth. Now this initiative covers 175 cities across 19 states and touches 250 rural areas across the length and breadth of India. During this month, the brand organizes free dental camps for oral checkups. Colgate also sponsors various initiatives to educate the masses about proper oral hygiene.This year Colgate further expanded the scope of this initiative by an attempt to touch the young urban audience . Colgate for the first time tried an animated viral campaign aimed at youngsters. The brand uses a fictional plot involving a dangerous new species Germosaurus which evolved from the germs that causes tooth decay.Watch the campaign here : GermosaurusWhether the new campaign had the desired effect or not, one has to appreciate a brand to take up a worthy cause.Colgate has set a grand vision for itself. The mission aims at ZERO tooth decay. The brand is trying to promote this vision through various initiatives in partnership with Indian Dental Association. This is a variant of cause marketing. Cause marketing is defined as the process of formulating and implementing marketing activities that are characterized by an offer from the firm to contribute a specific amount to a designated cause when customers engage in revenue providing exchanges that satisfy organizational and individual objectives. Another jargon to define this initiative is Corporate Societal marketing. I call it a variant because a customer does not have to buy Colgate inorder for the brand to conduct these programs.Such initiatives of brand offer many potential benefits:a. Building brand awarenessb. Enhancing brand imagec.Establishing brand credibilityd.Evoking brand feelingse. Creating a sense of brand communityf. Eliciting brand engagementg. Humanizing the firm.( Source : Strategic Brand Management by Kevin Lane Keller)

Colgate has been a consistent topper in the Brand Rankings throughout the world. The reason behind a brand sustaining its world leadership position is that it had identified a much nobler cause than the usual market share numbers.Its a lesson for all marketers to learn....... Do your brand have a vision for the society ?

Thursday, November 15, 2007

Chandrika is a heritage brand. The brand came into existence in 1940. This hand made ayurvedic soap owes its existence to the founder C.R Kesavan Vaidyar who identified the potential for an ayurvedic soap way back in 1940.From a humble beginning, the brand has come a long way withstanding the test of time. Its a brand that has survived all these years without changing any of the marketing mixes. Now after 6 decades, Chandrika is changing .

Chandrika is a 28 crore brand and has a loyal customer base in the southern states like Kerala and Tamilnadu. The brand was manufactured and marketed by SV Group till 2004. In 2004, Wipro acquired the marketing rights of this brand after a protracted battle with other suitors like Marico.Chandrika all through these years has been positioned as a traditional ayurvedic soap gifted by nature. The brand differentiates itself from other ayurvedic soaps with its 7 essential oilsOrange oilPatchouliCinnamon leafWild gingerSandalwood oilLime peeland Coconut oil.The brand boasts of being made from pure coconut oil which comprises of 70% of its ingredients.Chandrika is a handmade soap which is 100 % vegetarian. The brand faces competition from the likes of Medimix and Jeeva together with host of natural soaps and its variants.The brand has been promoted reasonably well through various media in South India, but the campaigns were ordinary . In the marketing front, Chandrika never was an aggressive player. I think that the company was happy with the sales and loyal customer base it had. Moreover ayurvedic soap market was small and was not growing enough to warrant a change in any of the marketing mix elements. The brand did not even bother to change the packing for a long time.

However 2000 saw a rejuvenation in the ayurvedic soap market. There was a sudden interest from consumers towards green products. Now the ayurvedic soap market is estimated to be Rs 227 crore( Businessline). The increased customer interest has bought in many new players in the ayurvedic soap market. New brands like Jeeva began aggressive promotion which forced older brands like Medimix to sharpen their marketing strategy. This market also made some big companies looking for acquiring brands to gain a foothold in the ayurvedic soap market.

The owners of Chandrika chose to sell out this brand than to fight the competition. The sale of Chandrika was a messy affair with legal battle between Marico and Wipro. At the end the war, Chandrika was acquired by Wipro. The one factor that made Chandrika attractive to suitors was its quality product properties. Wipro felt that Chandrika had qualities which are scalable to a national market.

There was a visible change in the brand after Wipro took over the marketing . AlthoughWipro was careful not to tamper the product attributes, the brand changed the shape and packaging. Original Chandrika was in the cake form ( rectangular) while the market was moving towards the oval soap form . Chandrika changed to oval form and the packaging was made more contemporary. The oval shape helps the soap to dry quicker thereby lasts longer. These moves were of important significance because most of the time traditional brands fail because it does not change with times. Hence the first task of Wipro was to make the brand contemporary.Along with the cosmetic changes , the brand was relaunched with a new positioning.Watch the ad here : ChandrikaThe challenge before Wipro was to make this traditional brand contemporary without losing its core values. The brand was stagnant hence had to attract new users especially the new generation. Then came the big idea. Chandrika took the two qualities : Natural and Exotic as its core brand values. Then came the challenge to communicate this values to the customers. The brand chose to use the brand imagery of a SPA to convey the new positioning. The big idea is to equate the bathing experience with Chandrika to an oil bath at a SPA.The experience of a SPA is unknown to majority of Indian consumers. Most of use have seen it in TV but may not have visited a SPA. Hence the new equation with SPA takes this traditional brand to an aspirational level. In order to communicate this new positioning, the new ad had to have an ideal imagery. The agency chose the luxurious Pangkor Laut Spa Resort in Malaysia as its location for the ad.Along with the new campaign , Chandrika also introduced a line extension - Chandrika Amrutham. The variant has an innovation in the form of an aromatic oil that comes with the soap. The soap and the oil opens the pores of the skin and gently cleanses the skin and thus creates a feeling of freshness. The brand which claims to have 18 herbs is positioned as a soap that gives complete freshness for body and mind. Although the variant sounds interesting, it has not clicked in the market because aromatherapy is not yet popular in India. Further the combination of soap and oil is new . But after reading about the variant, I feel that there is lot of potential for this variant if heavily promoted.

In the early nineties, the ayurvedic soap market was in shambles because of price offs and cheap products. A shift in consumer tastes has bought in more serious non- price attributes to gain importance in this market. Wipro has " applied thought " on this brand and the result is evident in way this brand is promoted. Within a few years, Wipro was able to rejuvenate this brand and made it more contemporary. The brand has already running a new campaign these days. Its happy to see a traditional brand morphing to a new young brand.

Monday, November 12, 2007

Bournvita is a power brand. Bournvita was launched in 1948 and is one of the oldest brand in the malted beverages segment. The brand is a market leader in the Brown health drink segment with a market share of over 17 %.This is a brand that has sustained over time and competition. Cadbury's - true to its reputation has managed to sustain this brand over these years. The brand has sustained because of Cadbury's invested in the brand and also ensured that the brand changed in tune with the times.Bournvita is a chocolate flavored health drink. When the brand was introduced in the market, it tried to solve a perennial problem that mother's face : a need for a healthy food which is tasty. Bournvita offered that unique combination of health and taste.Its also interesting to see how this brand has evolved over these years.In 1970s t he brand was positioned as a product that helps in good upbringing. The brand used the tagline : Goodness t hat Grows with You.During 1980's the brand changed its focus from Upbringing to Intelligence. The tagline was changed to : Brought Up Right, Bournvita Bright.In 1990's the brand felt that it should be focusing on the overall health of the kid thus changed its focus on Body and Mind. The brand also took Energy as a main focus and thus evolved the famous VO ( voice over) : "Bournvita has proteins, minerals and carbohydrates" . Along came the famous tagline : Tan Ki Shakthi , Man Ki Shakthi.During 1998, the brand faced intense competition from Milo from Nestle. At this time, the brown health food drink segment was facing issues of stagnation because of lack of value addition. Bournvita then changed its positioning on the health platform. The brand used a marconym RDA ( Recommended Dietary Allowance) to reinforce the health positioning. The brand used a clever Nutritional meter to communicate the RDA formula : 2 cups of Bournvita for balanced nutrition.The brand also set up a Bournvita Nutritional Center where nutrition experts recommended the right RDA percentage to kids. The brand at that time used the cricketer Ajay Jadeja to endorse the brand. The brand also harped on the taste and used the tagline " No Bournvita No Milk " to reinforce the taste attribute.In the current millennium, the brand has moved to the next level. In the typical laddering Up strategy, Bournvita has identified Confidence as its Core Brand Essence. The brand realized that every kid have a chance to excel in his chosen field of endeavour if he have confidence . The realization has enabled the brand to chalk out the current marketing strategy. The brand now uses the tagline " Do you have Bournvita Confidence ".In the Brown beverages segment, Bournvita faces intense competition from Boost. In order to defend the leadership position, Bournvita has invested heavily in product development, advertising and sales promotion. In the product development front, Bournvita had significantly changed its packaging and the latest pack is inspired by Boost. Along with packaging changes, the brand also had comeout with a new variant : Bournvita Fivestar Magic. The new variant has the unique chocolate with caramel flavor of Cadbury's Fivestar. The brand is using the brand association with Five Star as a key differentiator.All these years, Bournvita has used taste as a consistent theme to attract the kids. The Five Star Magic variant further reinforced this positioning.In the advertising campaigns, Bournvita has always been a heavy spender. When I am writing this post, Bournvita is running two different campaigns for Bournvita : one campaign for the Bournvita Fivestar Magic and another one featuring Bournvita Confidence Academy.

Bournvita Confidence Academy is not a School but a reality show. The show which premiered on July 2007 in the Pogo channel is different from the usual reality shows . The show features 7 kids who have exceptional talents in various fields like dancing, racing, singing, magic, studies etc. In the reality show , these kids to act as Gurus and is expected to teach each other skills . So you have a magic whizkid learning to sing. The point is that "You Need Confidence" to venture into unknown fields.Bournvita Confidence Academy is not the first event that this brand associates with. Bournvita Quiz is the longest running quiz show in Indian Television .In the sales promotion front also , the brand was active with its share of freebies and gifts . The association with Cartoon Network enabled this brand to use the famous characters like Powerpuff girls and Dexter to the brand's advantage.As a marketer, I feel that the latest focus on Confidence is a smart move by the brand. Its arch rival Boost has built itself on the energy platform and recently has gained headway using Sachin. Hence to counter Boost, Bournvita needed to own an important differentiation point. Confidence is something that every kid look forward to. By featuring real whiz kids , the brand has been able to create an impact in the TG. But the challenge that Bournvita faces is not from Boost but from the Consumer Promotion trap that both these brands have fallen into. Now most of the sales are decided by the promotional gifts and freebies than the actual efficacy. Since mothers are happy whether the kids drink either of these , brand loyalty has become a thing of past in this segment.Source : Cadbury website, agencyfaqs.com

Friday, November 09, 2007

Miss Players is a new brand from ITC in the women's wear market. The Indian women's wear market is huge , estimated to be of size Rs 33000 crore. The market is dominated by unbranded products. This market is going to witness lot of branding activity with lot of global majors like Reebok, Levi's and Blackberry already making its presence in the market. Most of the major apparel brands like Allen Solly have women's apparel line.

The latest launch of Miss Players brand is aimed at capturing a fair share of this market which is estimated to be growing at 15%. Miss Players has strong association with John Players brand which was the ITC's first brand in the readymade category. John Players had a reasonable success in the market and Miss Players shares strong brand association with John Players by using the term " Players" . I liked the brand name because it retains the individuality at the same time derives an association with John Players with out diluting the positioning of the male brand.

Miss Players is targeting the young ladies and the brand comes with a variety of apparel and fashion accessories. Popular actress Amritha Arora is the face of the brand. The brand has set a price range of Rs 300-1000 thus making it a Masstige brand.Although John Players and Miss Players are two different brands targeting two different consumer segments, both these brands share a common positioning strategy. Infact Miss Players have the same positioning of " Style with playful side " and uses the John Player's tagline " Play It Cool ".But Miss Players have lot of challenges ahead. The main competition for this brand is from the hosts of unbranded readymade products in the market. The TG is not known to be brand conscious and more inclined to experiment with different styles . In this market, the major attributes is fashion and variety ahead of brand. Miss Players had done the right pricing by making the brand affordable and time will tell if Miss Players will be able to satisfy the fashion appetite of young girls.

Wednesday, November 07, 2007

Itch Guard is a niche brand, that too a highly successful niche brand. It comes from Paras Pharma which has specialized in making successful niche brands. Itch Guard brand is interesting for many reasons , primarily because it address a problem that consumers never speak about in public.Itch Guard , as the name suggest is a specialist brand dealing with Intertrigo. Intertrigo is the medical term for itch caused due to sweat. The brand which was launched in 1998 is now a market leader in the anti-fungal itch creams.The problem of sweat related itch has been there from time immemorial ( although I does not have data to prove this point). The itch can be caused by sweat retention, moisture in folds of the skin and also because of tight garments. The itch can case severe embarrassment and is often taken as an a sign of unhygienic lifestyle. This makes the problem very personal in nature and usually this issue is unspoken.The customers usually retort to traditional methods for solution. The common methods include applying talcum powders, oil and prickly heat powders. For severe cases, people tend to go in for ethical medicines like Betnovate and Soframycin.Paras wanted to tap this market with Itch Guard. Mudra was roped in to develop the launch strategy. The brand was developed on the consumer insight that " Respectable people do not scratch in front of others" . The brand knew that there was a need for a product that specializes on this problem because prickly heat powders or oil does not solve the problem.

The first campaign focused on the Sweat itch caused in the groin area of men. There were a series of campaign highlighting the efficacy of the product. The interesting factor in the campaign was that the brand was positioned as an upmarket brand. The campaign was wise enough to feature models which was famous and this promoted the brand above the likes of BTex . The brand also created a character ITCH . The website itchguard.com has won creative awards for best product sites. Itch Guard also uses the Cactus Mnemonic to reinforce the positioning.

The brand became an instant success. But success had its fair share of problems as well. A consumer research showed that Itch Guard was perceived to be a brand for " Serious " itches. That means that the brand was used by only those who suffered serious itches thus restricting the usage of the brand. And there was a concern that Itch Guard may be perceived as a brand for itches in Groin area . Hence the brand went for a repositioning strategy whereby separate campaigns were run for broadening the usage and also to make the brand appealing to non-serious sufferers of Itch.The brand is currently positioned as one which complements active life. The brand takes two platforms . One focuses on the medicinal values of the product and the second one takes the lifestyle values. Use of Itch Guard helps the customer to avoid the Social Embarrassment and thus enables an active life.Watch the commercial here : Itchguard

Itch Guard has successfully created a category for itself . For a customer, the brand has made his life a lot easier. The brand has also removed the taboo surrounding this problem . One of the success of the brand was that it was able to understand that itch related problems is more of a lifestyle issue rather than a hygiene issue. This insight has helped the brand to communicate to the customer in a more refined manner. This positioning has also helped the customer to purchase this brand without any embarrassment.

Itch Guard is a classic marketing story where a brand identifies a problem and successfully solves the problem. The brand also reminds marketers that even in this clutter, its possible to come up with successful brands if you listen to the customer.

Monday, November 05, 2007

It seems this season is of Brand Updates. This time its for Lux. Lux has recently launched yet another variant : Lux Crystal Shine. The new variant has the shine of crystals and drops of moisturizer in it. The variant is positioned as one that gives luminous sensation or in plain language will make your skin shine.

In order to convince the customer that the soap contains CRYSTALS, Lux has added some " Gilt" into the soap and the soap gets a sparkling look.The new variant also features the new Lux Diva in Ms Priyanka Chopra.Other than the new look, pack and fragrance, what is interesting about Crystal Shine is its ad campaigns. The ad campaign featuring Priyanka is an Indianised version of Lux Shine campaign from Argentina.Watch the Original campaign here : Lux ShineThis campaign is popularly known as Lux Neon Girl campaign and this has won many creative accolades. The agency has just edited certain portions and added Priyanka at relevant places ( thanks to editing softwares) and the Indian version is ready.The same technique was used in the Lux Haute Pink launch too. The question remains as to why a cash rich company like HUL use a campaign famous elsewhere in India instead of coming out with a much more original localized version? Why should a respected advertising giant like JWT ( India) do such Copy - Paste work?

I think that the reason is simple. HUL has been trying to introduce some of the famous global variants of Lux in India. Lux Pink and Crystal Shine is a part of Lux's profile in various countries. HUL is not sure about the success of these variants and may be hesitant to invest heavily in these variants which are Un-Indian. Hence the easy way out is to import the campaigns also. In the case of Crystal Shine advertisement, it was creatively appreciated worldwide hence HUL thought that it will work in India too. The success of AXE brand's international campaigns in India gives the company more reasons to import globally successful ads for the Indian variants.I personally did not like both Lux Pink and Lux Crystal Shine Ads. Some where the connect was missing. The earlier campaigns involving the film stars were very Indian but these campaigns were totally out of sync ( Personal opinion). It may be that HUL does not want to take too many risks .......The problem is that if this trend continues, Lux will no longer have that " Customer Connect" which can hurt the brand in the long term. Although the packaging of both Pink and Crystal Shine are different, the Indianness is lost which I feel is dangerous.

Another disturbing fact is that Lux is increasingly diluting its primary associations with " Milk Cream " . For decades, Lux is known for its milk cream and the Celebrities. Both new variants do not have "milk cream ". The marketers are playing around with the core strength of Lux which I feel can hurt the brand in the long run.

Saturday, November 03, 2007

After creating and ruling the branded car perfume market , Ambipur had a reasonably successful extension in the home perfume ( aircare ) segment. This year Ambipur launched yet another innovation in the Indian market : Car odor eliminator.All car owners faces the issue of odor especially during rainy season and also when you have kids. What ever care that you put , sometimes, the odor usually wins the fight. Sensing this universal issue, Ambipur has launched this product in the Indian market.There is also another interesting development in this brand. Ambipur has a new brand ambassador in Soha Ali Khan ( Saif's Sister). Infact the new campaign launching the Car Odor Eliminator features Soha.Watch the Tvc here : AmbipurThe TVC although too dramatic for a product like Ambipur however keeps the viewer hooked on till the end ( spoof).But what is really commendable about this brand is its ability to create and expand a new category. But the brand faces tough competition from cheap look alike and unbranded Chinese products. The original car purifier has not made any improvements so far and no new fragrances has been launched. This is an issue of being blinded by the success. As a customer I am bored by the fragrances available and is in lookout for a new product ( but couldn't find one... ).Regarding the new launch, I wanted to try it out but was taken aback by the steep price of the product. The price just repels any thought of trying it out. May be the brand is taking on the premium segment ( I recommended that in my earlier post on Ambipur).How ever , the new launch has enabled the brand to be alive in the media. The parent brand will also get the benefit of this launch. The odor eliminator is at best a niche and often seasonal. Another issue is whether this brand will cannibalise the existing Ambipur range ? Will an Indian consumer bother about having two air purifiers in the car and bother about refilling both ?

Thursday, November 01, 2007

I had severely criticized Dyna's positioning in my post on this brand in August 2006. The brand just have a tagline " Be A Lady " + brand ambassador Katrina Kaif . I felt that the campaign failed to highlight any differentiation for the brand. The tagline also was not able to make a connect with the customers and it seemed out of place or more precisely UnIndian. Looking closely, Dyna was positioned as a soap that enables you to have a soft skin. But the launch ads failed to communicate that positioning. The brand has been alive and kicking in the media with lot of ads and also variants

The brand is currently running new campaigns featuring the brand ambassador Katrina Kaif. luckily the latest campaigns of this brand are far better than the earlier one in that the ads are trying to establish some differentiation for the brand. Dyna is focusing on two attributes as its differentiators :a. The brand has no fillers , that means the soap is soft on skin and does not make your skin rough. The ads say that other soaps use fillers which may make your skin rough after some time.b. The brand has a TFM ( total fatty matter) of over 76% which makes this a better soap for the skin.Now the brand is clearly found its differentiators and its positioning of " Soft Skin " backed by the attributes puts the brand in a position to establish itself. Katrina Kaif is surely giving this brand lot of visibility and the new rational campaign can put the brand in a growth orbit.